Ireland's minister for Children, Brendan Smith, has announced a number of revisions to the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme, after a review was completed ahead of schedule.
The scheme recorded more than 80 per cent uptake among funded providersthis month, although it has provoked protests and controversy around thecountry (News, 13 December). Key changes include raising the fundingoffered for each place and introducing a minimum subvention of EUR20,000per year, which will be particularly helpful for small, rural settings.
